Discharge control protecting means



1933- E. w. SCHELLENTRAGER ,0 1

DISCHARGE CONTROL PROTECTING MEANS Filed June 18, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR ATTORNEY Feb. 21, 1933. E, w. SCHELLENTRAGER DISCHARGE CONTROL PROTECTING MEANS Filed June 18, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Patented Feb. 21, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE EUGENE W. SCHELLENTRAGER, OF SHAKER HEIGHTS, OHIO, ASSIGNOB T0 ATLAS BOLT & SCREW COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO DISCHARGE CONTROL PROTECTING MEANS Application filed June 18,

My invention relates to means for protecting the control means of discharge mechanism.

The main object of my invention is to provide protective means for the mechanism which operates the discharge controlling means. Other objects will be pointed out herein and will become obvious or apparent and will suggest themselves upon an inspection of this specification and the accompanying drawings.

In some instances, as in a material receiving car moving to and from a container, it is necessary that some means is provided to promote or to control the discharge of material through the discharge end of the container.

Such means require mechanism for operation and this mechanism must be adapted to be connected with and disconnected from the means at the discharge end of the container since the material receiving element is movable in relation to the container and atleast a part of the operating mechanism should be on the receiving element and this element must be in a material receiving position before the discharge end of the container is opened.

Due to this relative movement, at least the connecting parts of the operating mechanism are exposed and material can fall into the mechanism and damage the same or may stall the same with consequent damage to other parts such as the scale mechanism on scale cars for instance.

My invention provides protective means for the operating mechanism and thereby eliminates danger of damage to the mechanism.

I attain my objects by the mechanism illustratively shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is an end view of the discharging part of a container and a car moved to receive discharge from the container and carrying the driving means for the dis charge controlling mechanism.

Fig. 2 is a side view of the end portion of the container and part of the car of Fig. 1.

1931. Serial No. 545,356.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section, taken on the line 33 in Fig. 2, showing on a larger scale the driving casing and associated mechanism; a wall of the casing being partly broken away to more clearly show relations of the driving pinions and the casing and the protector.

Fig. 4 is a vertical section similar to Fig. 3 showing the operating gears in mesh and the protector moved to open thehole in the caslng.

Fig. 5 is a transverse section taken on the line 5-5 in Fig. 3.

Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the views.

The part represents a discharge end of a container and is open at the outer end.

A movable member, the roller 11 in this instance, is mounted at or opposite the discharge end of the part 10 and normally closes the open end thereof except the discharge opening 12 provided in the part 10.

The roller 11 is journaled in the bearings 13 mounted on the part 10. The gear 14 is secured to the roller 11 to rotate the same.

The car 15 is movable on the rails 16 into a position opposite the discharge end 10 to receive material discharged through that end.

The brackets 17 are mounted on the car 15 and the shaft 18 is journaled therein. The motor 19 is carried on the car and rotates the shaft through suitable control means to stop and to start the same. I

The pinion 20 is secured to the shaft 1 and rotates therewith and the pinion 21 is in permanent mesh with the pinion 20 and is journaled on the shaft 22 which is journaled in the casing 23.

The casing 23 is journaled on the shaft 18 and incloses the pinions 20 and 21f The hole 2 1 is provided through the upper wall of the casing, opposite the pinion 21, so that a portion of this pinion is exposed.

The side parts 25 of the protector are secured to the shaft 22 and rotatetherewith so that rotative movement of the shaft 22 moves the part 26 of the protector to cover and to uncover the hole 24'according to the direction of rotation of the shaft 22.

The suitably controlled air cylinder 27 is pivotally mounted by means of the trunnion pins 28 thereon journaled in the brackets 29 which are secured to the I beam 30 of the car.

The piston rod 31 projects from the cylinder and has the eye 32 on the outer end thereof and extending in between the cars 33 projecting from the bottom of the casing 23. The pivot pin 34 extends transversely through the eye and the ears to form a pivot joint.

The lower end of the strut 35 terminates in an adjustable end member 36 extending into the bracket 37 which is secured to the I beam 30. The pivot pin 38 extends transversely through the member 36 and the ears of the bracket 37 to form a positionally fixed pivot joint for the lower end of the strut.

The upper end of the strut also terminates in an adjustable end member 36 connected through the pivot pin 39 with the cranx 40 on and rotatable with the shaft 22.

The shelf 41 projects rearwardly from the casing 23.

The gate 42 extends along and opposite the discharge opening 12 and is supported by the arms 43 extending along the ends of the container toward the rear and are there hinged thereto by means of the pivot pins 44.

The operating rod 45 has the upper end thereof hinged to the arm 43 by means of the pin 46 located intermediate the gate 42 and the pivot pin 44. The lower end of the operating rod terminates in the roller 47 located for Contact on the shelf 41. The operating rod is suitably guided by the bracket 48.

The stop bars 49 extend transversely through the casing and are located in such positions that the side parts 25 contact the same to limit the movement of the part 26 and thereby prevent this part from getting into the pinions in case some part of the mechanism breaks or gets out of order.

The part 26 normally covers the hole 24 so that no foreign matter can get into the casing.

When the car 15 is moved into a material receiving position opposite the gate 42, air is admitted to the cylinder 27, the piston rod 31 moves outwardly of the cylinder and thereby moves the casing pivotally with the shaft 18 as pivot and the pinion 21 moves toward the gear 14.

This movement is permitted to continue until the teeth of the gear 14 and of the pinion 21 are in correct mesh. or stop means or the like are usually provided to prevent the pinion to be forced too tightly against the gear.

While the casing is so moved pivotally, the strut 35, positionally fixed at the lower Limit switches end thereof, rotatively moves the crank 40 automatically and thereby rotatively moves the shaft 22 and the protector therein automatically so that the part 26 thereof progressively moves into the lower part of the casing and exposes the upper part of the pinion 21 by the time-that the teeth are in position to mesh as is seen in Fig. 4.

lVhile the casing is so moving pivotally, the shelf 41 automatically moves with it and thereby moves the operating rod 45 upwardly and thereby moves the arm 43 on its pivot 44 and thereby moves the gate 42 upwardly and away from the discharge opening 12 to open the same for discharge of material and keeps the same open as long as the gear and the pinion are in mesh.

When the gear and pinion are in mesh, the motor is started to rotate the pinions 20 and 21 and thereby rotates the gear 14 to rotate the roller 11 for discharge of material through the discharge end of the container.

1Vhen a desired quantity of material has been so discharged, it is preferred that the motor be stopped and that the air in the cylinder is then permitted to exhaust whereupon the weight of the casing 23 and contents automatically causes the free end thereof to move downwardly due to gravity and thereby also causes the gate 42 to move downwardly due to gravity and automatically close the opening 12 and thereby also disengages the pinion 21 from the gear 14.

Vhile the free end of the casing is so moving downwardly, the strut 35 automatically moves the shaft 22 rotatively through the crank thereon and thereby moves the part 26 of the protector upwardly to cover the hole 24 to protect the driving or operating mechanism in the casing.

I am aware that changes and modifications can be made in the structure and arrangement of parts and application of my invention within the spirit and intent and scope of the appended claims; therefore, without limiting myself to the precise structure and arrangement of parts and application of my invention.

I claim:

1. A discharge controlling mechanism having an operating part, a driving mechanism including a member movable for connection thereof with and disconnection thereof from said operating part, means for moving said member, a protector for said member, and a strut between a stationary part and said member to automatically uncover said member when the same is moved for connection with said operating part and to automatically cover said member when the same is moved for disconnection with said operating part.

2. A discharge controlling mechanism having an operating part, a driving mechanism including a member formed for connection thereof with said operating part, a casing inclosing said member and having a hole in a Wall thereof to expose a portion of said member, said casing being movably mounted so that the exposed part of said member can be connected with and disconnected from said operating part, a protector for said member movably supported on said casing to open and to close said hole, and a strut having an end thereof hinged to a positionally fixed pin and an end thereof hinged to said protector so that movement of said casing for connection of said member with said operating part moves said protector to open said hole and movement of said casing for disconnection from said member moves said protector to close said hole.

3. A discharge controlling mechanism having an operating part, a driving mechanism including a member formed for connection thereof with said operating part, a casing inclosing said member and having a hole in a wall thereof to expose a portion of said member, said casing being movably mounted so that the exposed part of said member can be connected with and disconnected from said operating part, a protector for said member movably supported on said casing to open and to close said hole, a strut having an end thereof hinged to a positionally fixed pin and an end thereof hinged to said protector so that movement of said casing for connection of said member with said operating part moves said protector to open said hole and movement of said casing for disconnection from said member moves said protector to close said hole, and stop means to limit movement of said protector.

4:. A discharge controlling mechanism including a gate and a roller at the discharge end of a material containing element, an operating means for said gate and said roller on a material receiving element, control means to connect and to disconnect said roller with said operating means, a protector mounted to automatically move into a position to protect an exposed part of said operating means when said operating means is being disconnected from said roller and to automatically expose said operating means when the same is being connected to said roller, and a strut having one end thereof hinged onto a positionally fixed pin and the other end thereof hinged onto said protector to move the same.

5. In a protector for a discharge controlling mechanism, an operating mechanism for said controlling mechanism comprising members separable from each other, a movable protector to cover some of said members when the same are separated and to uncover the same before the same are con- EUGENE W. SCHELLENTRAGER. 

